Who's your point guard?...Kentucky

G.J. Vilarino

- 6'1" guard out of McKinney, Texas

- Committed to Kentucky

- Play on AAU Team Texas

- Currently unranked by Rivals at his position, 31st ranked point guard by Scout.

-Has a 42" vertical but you don't see him take off for a dunk during a game very often. He is definitely a pass-first point guard that is always looking to get his teammates involved. At this point has a questionable jumper, but his quickness and defensive toughness make him a worthy candidate to be the point guard of the future for Gillispie's Kentucky Wildcats. 

Early Look: 2009 NBA Draft part 2

1. Blake Griffin

2. Demar DeRozan

3. Hasheem Thabeet

4. James Harden

5. BJ Mullens

6. Earl Clark - has great length for a SF and has could really have an NBA body once he puts on more weight; extremely athletic and very high potential; could move into the top 5 if he shows a consistent outside game

7. Damion James - great rebounder for his position; ranking depends on how he responds to Texas' new lead guard AJ Abrams taking the reigns from DJ Augustin

8. Chase Budinger (pictured) - probably the most athletic player in the Pac-10 and also has terrific size for a SG; aggressive on offense but still plays in control; could have gone higher he had a year with Brandon Jennings

9. Brandon Jennings - made the smart move to go to Europe for the stiffer competition and money, especially if you compare it to sitting out a year, he would have contended with Darren Collison for First Team All Pac-10 if he had played in the NCAA's

10. Patrick Patterson - makes up for his 6-8 height with a 7-1 wingspan, has yet to show the ability to handle the ball or shoot from beyond 17 feet, has a tremendous motor and great hands, could go higher if he proves himself to be a legitimate threat around the perimeter

Who's your point guard?... Villanova

  Maalik Wayns

- 6'1" guard out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

-Committed to Villanova

- Plays on Philadelphia-based AAU team Team Philly. 

- Currently ranked 19th in his class by Rivals, 25th by Scout, and #12 by ESPN.

- Very effective at getting in the paint and dishing the ball from that point. Often relies to heavily on his left hand, but is a very solid dribbler.  Surprised me with his strength of rebounding from his position.  needs to work on consistency from behind the arc. 

Abdul Gaddy's travel coach: "there’s no validity to the story"

Garry Ward, the travel team coach for Abdul Gaddy, says Gaddy is still considering Memphis despite the recent news that Memphis self-reported a recruiting violation related to the Bellarmine (Wash.) Prep point guard.

“Since there’s no validity to the story, then I would say, ‘Yes, he’s still considering Memphis,’” Ward said by phone from Orlando.

ZagsBlog

John Wall to Baylor

We had posted a few weeks ago that we thought John Wall would end up in the Big 12. We expected Oklahoma State to land the #1 prospect in the 2009 class, instead he will verbal to Baylor University. Expect an announcement as early as next week, although he could decide to hold off on going public. Wall's list included Oklahoma State Kentucky, NC State and Oregon before his commitment. The 6-4 point guard plans to stay in college no longer than two years and he more than likely will be one and done. 

Memphis under investigation?

According to Jeff Goodman of Fox Sports, Memphis is currently under investigation by the NCAA for a possible rules violation involving Abdul Gaddy's mother being called by the CEO of Fed-Ex( where she works). The CEO, David Bronczek, is a booster for Memphis. More later as this story develops...

Morris to announce Friday

Class of 2009 point guard Darius Morris will announce Friday which school he will sign with in the fall. Morris, ranked 13th at his position by Scout, looks like a heavy Michigan lean.

Clip of the Day

Bobby Huggins is frowning

Why? Two of his players, Joe Mazzulla and Cameron Thoroughman, were handcuffed Monday evening at a Rockies-Pirates game in PNC Park. According to CBSsportsline, junior guard Mazzulla and sophomore forward Cameron Thoroughman were arrested for disorderly conduct, underage drinking(both being 20 years old), and resisting arrest. According to police, Mazzulla punched a police sergeant in an attempt to get him off Thoroughman. Now that's loyalty. No word yet on why they were at a Rockies-Pirates game to begin with. 

Who's your point guard? ... Louisville

Peyton Siva

- 6'0" 2009 guard out of Seattle, Washington

- Committed to Louisville 

- Plays on Seattle-based AAU team Rotary Select with elite class of 2010 big man Josh Smith and highly touted 2011 guard Tony Wroten, Jr. 

- Ranked 39th in his class per Scout, 31th by Rivals, and 26th by ESPN.

- Lightning quick and has the ability to lull his defender to sleep and dish the ball in the paint. Very solid 3-point shooter and has incredible ups/athleticism for his size. Not a great defender, but not bad either. Sometimes is so fast that he loses control and turns the ball over.

Cardinals, Illini land 2010 recruits

After a little weekend vacation I come back just in time to see the flurry of summer commitments begin.  Today, Louisville landed their first class of 2010 player in forward Josh Langford(above) of Huntsville, Alabama.  Langford is ranked as the #11 SF in his class and, according to Scout's Dave Telep, is "a solid top 100 player." 

Illinois added to their already strong 2010 class with 6'10" center Meyers Leonard of Robinson, Illinois.  He is rated as a 4-star player per Scout and is the third homegrown recruit Bruce Weber has landed in the class. He also has nabbed two 5-star players in Jereme Richmond and Crandall Head.